Through Time and Space (season 1)
by TryingNormal
Summary: The Tenth Doctor meets a girl named Avery who changes EVERYTHING.
1. Pilot

**It's funny to see how the little things change the world in big ways.**

Avery is twenty-two, American, and wakes up in London, England having no idea how she got there. She doesn't remembering getting on a plane and flying to England. In fact, she doesn't remember anything at all! She roams the city, trying to remember something-anything-and ends up staring up into space with a lonely guy who calls himself the Doctor.

* * *

_I'm going along with Season Three so be patient, _**Episode One: Avery, Smith, & Jones** _will be up as soon as I watch the second episode again._

* * *

**PILOT**

_*six months ago*_

"I love you," she sobs, her blonde hair whipping about in the cold ocean breeze.

He presses his lips together, desperately wanting to say how he feels, but knowing that if he does they can never be together anyway. He opens his mouth . . . But his body begins to fade.

"No!" she cries, wishing she could reach out to him and hold him one more time; but she can't, and she knows that-they both know that. The whole planet would collapse on itself if she did, and neither wanted that. "Doctor, don't leave me."

"Rose Tyler . . ." he whispers.

Suddenly she's gone, and he's standing back in the TARDIS-without her. A single tear runs down his cheek.

"I love you, too."

* * *

**PRESENT DAY**

She jerked awake at the sound of a loud bell toll, clutching the watch to her chest.

Groaning, she opened her eyes to find herself staring at England's famous clock tower, Big Ben.

"Holy . . ." she breathed, but she couldn't even finish the sentence for she was so shocked. She sat up straight, eyes wide, looking around to find that she really was in England-London to be precise. But . . .

How did she get here was the question of the day.

She didn't remember anything. Or maybe she couldn't. She racked her brain for an explanation, but came up with nothing-not even her own name.

She felt her pockets for a wallet, finding just a slim black flip-open that only had a blank piece of white paper in it, and the watch she'd always had with her ever since she could remember, the watch with the strange symbols on it. She sighed, running a hand through her blond hair. Guess that ruled the wallet out-or, at the very least, an ID that told her her name since she couldn't remember it.

"Shit," she mumbled, looking around as she stuffed the silverish-colored watch into her jacket pocket. It was dark, she noticed-Big Ben told her that it was about twelve minutes before eleven-but that didn't mean someone couldn't be lurking in the shadows, watching her. She quickly got to her feet, brushing herself off, and started down the sidewalk, glancing which way and that. There was practically no one in sight. Lights were on in some homes, businesses, and shops, but that was about it.

She wrapped her arms around herself, silently thanking God for the magenta-colored sweater and black leather jacket she had on to protect her from the cold, and walked quickly up the path and onto the street. Everything was closed, she could tell that much, but there were a few stragglers hanging around the local pubs. She sucked in a deep breath and exhaled, looking both ways before jogging across to the other side. She jogged a couple blocks before suddenly stopping at the sound of the singing. She looked up, up into the sky, into the stars, before finally locating the source of the melodic, giddy singing to be a man sitting high atop the roof of an apartment building.

"Hello?" she shouted, gazing up at him in curiosity.

His head whipped down to look at her and he smiled widely. "Hello down there!" he called loudly. "Would you like to join me, m'lady?"

She laughed despite herself and cupped her hands over her mouth to shout: "What are you doing up there?"

"Looking!"

"Looking at what?" she laughed.

"Everything! The stars! Space! The _Universe_!" He waved his arms wildly, a wickedly infectious cheeky grin on his lips. "Come join me!"

"How did you get up there, then?" she asked him.

He nodded his chin toward the alley between the apartment building and the one beside it. "There's a fire escape in the alley," he told her, setting the drinks on the edge and popping to his feet. "Come'on, I'll help you up!"

She laughed again and shook her head at his enthusiasm before jogging into the alley and up to the escape. When she looked he was looking down at her and smiling wildly. She smiled back.

"Well come on, then!" he shouted, his hands cupped around his mouth.

She grinned one last time before her face set in determination. She squared her shoulders, crouched low, and jumped up to catch the ladder-which slid down to the pavement with a startling loud crash that echoed throughout the alley. Tongue poking out between her lips, she gripped the first rung of the metal and heaved herself up, climbing her way to the small metal landing. Once there she quickly jogged up the three flights of stairs to the roof. The stranger stuck his hand out to her and she grinned broadly at him before gripping the rung of the small ladder in one hand and taking that offered hand with the other. A shock went down her spine, causing her to shiver with unexpected pleasure. Her hand felt as if it was on fire from this simple touch-and she knew he'd felt it too when her wide eyes found his and they, too, were wide with shock. He suddenly shook his head, as if to clear it, and grit his teeth. He stepped back, his grip on her hand tightening, and with the help of her feet on the ladder, pulled her onto the roof with him.

She looked down at him, for she was on the ledge of the roof while he was on the actual roof, and smiled broadly-he smiled back. A sudden wind blew through her hair and she shivered, stumbling backward in surprise from the cold that blasted her face. Her foot slipped off the ledge and with a shriek she started to tumble back. Almost instantly she was surrounded by that warmth and fire she'd felt from that stranger's offered hand all over her body. He pulled her forward and together they collapsed to the roof's floor in a tangle of limbs, the stranger's back hitting the ground with a dull thunk and he groaned. Her entire body shaking with fear, she buried her face in the man's chest and began to cry.

A hand stroked her hair and a wonderfully sexy British accent caressed her ear. "Shh, love, it's alrigh'. You're fine. Shh, stop your cryin'."

She slowly stopped crying and looked at the strange man who'd saved her from falling. She gasped.

He was beautiful. His brown hair stuck up at all ends, sideburn fuzz curling around his ears. Intelligent brown eyes stared back at her, searching her entire face.

"Do I know you?" he blurted automatically. " 'Cause I swear I've seen you before."

She slowly shook her head.

He chuckled, bringing a hand up between them to close her mouth-which she'd just realized was hanging open.

She shook herself, blushing furiously. "Uh, s-sorry," she mumbled sheepishly, quickly getting to her feet.

She hadn't even blinked when he'd suddenly popped to his feet, grinning broadly.

"Alrigh'?" he asked with a nod, brushing dirt off the blue suit he was wearing. His brown tweed trench coat billowed softly behind him in the breeze as he adjusted the red tie around his neck.

She nodded, not trusting herself to speak in front of the handsome stranger who'd saved her from certain death.

His brows suddenly pulled together in confusion and he cocked his head to the side, brown eyes locked on her hip.

She raised her arms and spun around, trying to figure out what he was looking at. "What?" she finally asked. "What is it?"

He reached forward and plucked something from the back of her sweater, chuckling as he read it.

"What?" she repeated. "What is it?"

He turned the small, rectangular piece of paper around so she could see it and quirked a brow. "Funny way tah introduce yourself. '_Ello, my name is . . ._' " He rolled his eyes. "Plus, I think you're supposed tah wear it like this, love."

He stepped forward, pressed the sticker right above her left breast, and stepped back, looking at her like he was admiring a painting, one red Converse high-top shoe crossed behind the other. " '_Ello, my name is . . ._' now you finish the rest," he told her, waving a hand at her and smiled encouragingly. "Go on now, don't be shy."

She looked down, moving her curly blond hair out of the way so she could read the nametag. "Avery? Hello, my name is . . . Avery?"

He clapped his hands like a child, eyes shining. "Good, good. Nice to meet you, Av-a-ry," he said, and turned away to walk over to the ledge.

She stumbled after him, stammering. "W-wait. You-you haven't-you haven't even told me your name, yet."

" 'Ello, my name is the Doctor. Please call me . . . the Doctor. Nice tah meet yah, Av-a-ry," he said, and outstretched his hand to her.

She stared at him curiously, head cocked to the side, and hesitantly shook his outstretched hand. " 'The Doctor?' Doctor _who_?"

His brown eyes suddenly filled with pain and he tucked the hand she'd shook into his suit pants pocket, thumb sticking out. "Only one other person has asked me that," he said softly, turning slightly to look out over the rooftops. "She's gone now though . . .

"Is she-" She couldn't even finish the question.

It took a long time, a very long time, before he finally spoke and, when he did, his voice was so soft she that she took a step toward him, straining her ears just to hear him.

"No. No, Av-a-ry, she's not-she's not dead. Just . . . just not here. In my world."

"I'm sorry," she blurted instantly, giving his arm a reassuring squeeze. "The way you spoke about her . . . I just assumed-"

"It's alrigh'." He puffed his coat out behind him as he sat down on the ledge of the apartment's roof, bringing one leg up to his chest and letting the other dangle of the side. He jammed his hand into his coat's pocket and pulled out a mixed berry flavoured juice box. She watched him as he tore off the straw, jammed it into the box, and he took a sip.

"You miss her alot?" she asked finally, hesitantly taking a seat beside him and, instead of dangling her legs over the ledge, crossed them Indian style. "Was she someone special to you?"

He inclined his head slightly in a nod. "She was. I never go to tell her how I felt though."

She only nodded, staring out over the rooftops.

"You're American?" His tone imposed that he was making a statement, but it came out as a question instead.

She shrugged a shoulder, glancing at him out of the corner of her eye to find him staring at her. She quickly averted her eyes but could still feel his on her. "I suppose so," she said. "Since I don't have an accent like your's."

"Where're you from, Av-a-ry?

She shrugged again. "Dunno. Can't remember."

"You can' remember?" he asked in disbelief. "Do you remember anythin'? Anythin' a' all?

"I didn't even know my own name until you found that nametag sticker on my sweater," she admitted to him.

"Reeeally?" He drew the word out, the word bursting with curiosity.

"Mmm hmm," she nodded.

He went quiet for a moment, the only sound between them being the excess juice in the drink that he couldn't get into his straw.

"Doctor?"

"Av-a-ry?"

"I don't know who I am. And I'm-I'm scared," she whispered softly, pulling her legs up against her chest. "I don't remember anything about myself. Who I am; why I'm here in London, England if you say I'm American; why I don't even know my own name. It scares me, Doctor, it really scares me."

"Well-" He crushed the juice box in his hand and threw it, with perfect aim might I add, into the trash bin down below across the street down. He pumped his fists into the air in victory. "Yeah!"

He turned to look at her, grinning madly, and she rolled her eyes. "Amazing, Doctor, you are amazing. No one else could have done that."

"There's no one else qui' like me, so I think I would have tah agree with tha'," he replied with a lopsided smile that instantly made her heart skip a beat.

"Really? No one else like you?"

His smile faded slightly and he looked up at the sky, cupping a hand over his eyes to shield them from the sun. "Yup," he said matter-of-factly. "The only one of my kind left. No one else bu' me for a long time."

"Your kind, Doctor?" she asked curiously.

"You're not busy la'ta, are you?" he asked her with a cough, trying to change the subject.

"I don't even know who I am much less how I got here! Where d'you think I'll be later?"

He chuckled and nodded. "True, Av-a-ry."

"Why do you do that?"

"Do what?"

"Say my name like that."

"You don't like Av-a-ry?"

"_Doctor_! It's Av-er-ry, not Av-a-ry!" she giggled.

He rolled his eyes. "Fine, Av-er-ry. Let's do it your way then."

"Weren't you asking me if I was doing something later?" she laughed.

He snapped his fingers, popping to his feet. "Oh yes, of course. Av-er-ry, I know we've jus' met an' all, but would you like to go on an adventure with me?"

She hesitantly got to her feet beside him, looking down then quickly looking back up in fear. "An adventure? Where, Doctor?"

"Anywhere!" He spread his arms wide, grinning a Cheshire Cat grin. "Anywhere in the whole world, Avery. Anywhere you can think of an' some you can't even begin to imagine. Jus' pick a place, any place, and I'll take you there. All you have to do-" he stuck out a hand, an almost pleading look in those intelligent brown eyes of his, "-is say yes."

She narrowed her green eyes at him. "Anywhere?"

He nodded. "Anywhere. So, what d'you say, Avery? Would you like to see the universe with me?"

"The universe?" she exclaimed with a laugh, grinning. "Are you really telling me that we can see the universe?"

"Yup."

She narrowed her eyes at him for a moment before taking his hand, that fire radiating through her body again. Looking him straight in the eye, she gave it a good squeeze and nodded.

"Yeah, alright. Lets go, Doctor. Lets go see that universe you were talking about."

"Fantastic!" he exclaimed, pulling her with him as he jumped down from the ledge and over to the fire escape. "To the TARDIS!"

She shrieked. "The TARDIS? What's that?"

"You'll see!" he called over his shoulder.

"A blue police box? That's the TARDIS?"

"Yup! Come on, then," he grinned, halting abruptly in front of the blue box. He jammed the hand not holding tightly to hers in his coat pocket and pulled out a key ring. He shook the one lone key on the ring in front of her face. "Care to do the honor, Avery?" he asked.

"Really? Me?"

"Yeah. You," he chuckled. "Come on, give it a go. You know you wanna . . ."

With a grin she snatched the key from his hand and quickly unlocked the door, pushing open the door. "Holy shit . . ." she breathed, racing inside and spinning herself around in circles so she didn't miss a single thing.

The TARDIS had looked so small from the outside, barely big enough to hold more than two or three people. But this, this, blue Police Box she was standing inside of at this very moment was bigger on the inside. It was just a circle of a room, and the elevated walkway from the door lead up to a big machine type of thing sitting right in the middle of it all, a long clear tube going straight from the middle of the strange contraption and into the ceiling. Surrounding the tube was an array of various controls, all mismatched and unruly that she didn't even know what button or lever or pulley or screen controlled what. Metal columns supported the inside while golden-colored half circles adorned the beige-looking-colored walls. The entire floor was made of metal gratings that clanked and rattled under her sneakers as she circled the control center for a moment before turning back to face the Doctor.

"This is amazing, Doctor!" she cried, throwing her arms out and grinning broadly. "Absolutely fantastic! Just _brilliant_!"

He chuckled from his spot leaning against the door and smiled that wonderful lopsided grin that made her heart skip a beat. "I thought you migh' like it," he said.

Her jaw dropped, instantly rushing over to take his hand and pull him up the walkway toward the control center. "Like it?" she exclaimed incredulously. "Like it? Doctor, I _love_ it! This is absolutely the most amazingly, fantastically brilliant thing I've _ever_ seen!"

"You think so, Av-er-ry?" He quirked an eyebrow at her.

"Yes! It's incredible, Doctor! Absolutely incredible!" she cried, launching herself at him.

The Doctor stumbled back in surprise from the unexpected hug, and froze when he looked down at her-because she was just a good half-foot shorter than him-to see her face was buried in his chest, a smile on her face that shook something inside him.

"Avery?" he croaked.

"What?" She looked up at him and he couldn't remember how to breathe as he stared into her beautiful, vibrant green eyes. He stared at her for a few moments before his mind finally registered that she was speaking in that lovely American accent of hers. "Doctor? Doctor, are you okay?"

Almost as if his mind wasn't his own, he suddenly cupped her cheek in his palm and hesitantly leaned down to kiss her lips. She froze instantly, then it was almost as if she wasn't in her right mind either, because she reached a hand up and tangled her fingers in his hair, the other hand holding him by the nape of his neck, pulling him closer.

Their tongues danced, the passion between the both of them so strong it made them both dizzy with pleasure. Without even thinking, he gently pushed her backwards, backwards until the metal railing that circled the room hit the back of her knees. Her hands moved and suddenly his coat was being pushed off his shoulders, pushed down his arms until it hit the floor with a silent thud. She shifted against him, her hips brushing his, and fire leapt through him. His hands found her own shoulders and he pushed that leather jacket down her arms until, it too, hit the floor with a faint thud.

Their movements became frantic, her fingers fumbling as she unbuttoned his suit jacket. He shrugged out of it as he broke the kiss to leave a trail of fiery kisses along her jaw and down to her neck. One minute his fingers had found the hem of her sweater and the next the magenta-colored fabric was on the floor. His arms curled around her waist as he gently started to suck on the skin of her neck, nipping at it with his teeth, and she arched into him as she let out a small moan. Her fingers found his hair once again and she gently tugged on it, a shot of pleasure coursing through his body.

"Doctor . . ." she breathed, her breathing heavy. "Oh . . . Doctor . . ."

Hearing her voice jumpstarted something inside him and reality slammed back into him so fast that he actually broke away from her and stumbled backward away from her.

He shook himself, his body suddenly becoming cold at the loss of her warmth, and stared at her with wide eyes. It had only been six months since he'd lost his Rose and the wounds in his hearts were still healing from the pain of heartbreak. Even though Rose was still alive, still alive on this Earth, she wasn't here in this world with him; but a parallel one that had been sealed off completely ever since the Cybermen and Daleks had tried to take over the world, forbidding him from ever going back and seeing her, touching her, hearing her voice, ever again. He mentally slapped himself.

What in the bloody hell was he doing with this girl he'd just met? Let alone one that couldn't even remember anything about herself or her life or who she was. What was wrong with him?

"Doctor?" her breathless voice asked.

* * *

Her chest heaved up and down as she tried to get her breathing back to normal.

"Doctor?" she said again.

"Hmm?"

"What was that that just happened here between us?"

"I uh, um . . ." His voice trailed off as he ran a hand through his hair and over his face, looking anywhere but at her.

She took a step toward him, hand reaching out. "Doctor?"

He moved quickly, gathering her things and shoving them into her arms, then gathering his own. His movements were hurried as he pulled on his suit jacket and buttoned it, fixed his shirt and tie, and pulled his tweed coat back on.

He cleared his throat, briefly pulling up his sleeve to look at the watch on his wrist. "Blimey, is that the time?" he exclaimed and dashed over to the controls, twisting knobs, pulling levers, pressing buttons. "We better get going. By the way, where did you say you wanted to go?"

She turned her back to him, clutching her sweater and jacket to her chest. Silent tears spilled down her cheeks as she swiftly tugged the sweater over her head and pulled on her jacket. Quickly wiping her tears, she spun back around to face him and walked over.

"Anywhere," she croaked, trying and failing to keep her voice steady as she spoke but failing. "Anywhere. I don't care."

He stopped for a moment and briefly looked up, into her eyes, then quickly back down. "R-right," he stammered. "Right. Of-of course. Sorry."

"Whatever," she mumbled, turning slightly away from him.

Out of the corner of his eye he saw her jam her hand into her coat pocket, pulling out something silver and circular; a watch. He watched as she lifted her head slightly to look around, then looked back at the watch, rubbing her thumb gently across the front of it; she didn't open it, however. She sniffed, her hand lifting to rub underneath her nose and wipe stray tears from her eyes before tucking the watch back in her pocket. Taking a deep breath, she squared her shoulders and brushed her bangs out of her eyes before turning to face him again.

"So, Doctor," she said with a weak smile. "How 'bout that adventure you promised me?"

He smiled that lopsided smile, and her heart betrayed her by skipping in her chest. She grimaced and looked away without thinking, rubbing the area above her heart with the palm of her hand. His smiled faded slightly and his eyes dipped down.

"I'm sorry abou' tha'," he finally said after a long moment. "Abou' wha' happened jus'-"

"Forget it," she mumbled back. "Lets just go . . . wherever.

"Hold on, then!" he shouted, slamming a lever down, and the TARDIS suddenly began to shake.


	2. Episode 1 Part A: Avery, Smith, & Jones

**Episode 1 Part A: **_"Avery, Smith, & Jones"_

Dressed smartly in a blue jean trench coat over a short-sleeved turquoise dress shirt, dress pants and black heels, medical student Martha Jones was on her way to work that morning in busy London, England when her cell phone suddenly rang.

"You're up early," she exclaimed brightly into the phone after she'd fished it from her purse. "Wha's happenin'?"

"It's a nigh'mare," her older sister Trish said. "Cause Dad won't listen and I'm tellin' you Mum is goin' mental! I swear tah God, Martha, this is epic, you've got to get in there and stop 'im."

"How do I do tha'?" Martha laughed; she knew where this was heading.

"Jus' tell 'im he can' bring 'er!"

Unfortunately, Trish was talking about their father's plan to bring his new girlfriend to the birthday dinner they were throwing for their elder brother tonight, and she wanted Martha to talk him out of it!

A chime suddenly sang in her ear and she pulled the phone away from her ear to see that her brother, Leo, was calling.

"Hold on, that's Leo. I'll call you back," she told her sister, and switched over to the other call.

"Martha, before Mum an' Dad start kickoff, tell 'em I don' even wan' a party. Didn't even ask for one. They can always gimme the money instead." Well, her brother got right to the point, didn't he?

"Yeah, but, why do I have to tell them? Why can't you?" Another chime sang and she checked the caller ID. "Hold on, that's Mum, call you back."

"I don' mind your father making a fool of himself in private," Sara Jones said, "but this is Leo's twenty-first. Everyone's going to be there, and the entire family is going to look ridiculous."

"Mum, it's a party. I can't stop Dad from bringin' his girlfriend," Martha replied, tucking a strand of her brown hair behind her ear with a dark-skinned hand.

Her phone chimed. Again.

"Hold on, that's Dad, I'll call you back."

"But-" her mother started just as she switched over to the other call.

"Martha, now tell your motha' Leo is my son and I am paying for half that party. I'm entitled to bring who I like," Trevor Jones told his daughter.

"I know," she told her father. "But think about how it's gonna look for Mum because Dad's in there with Annalise."

"What's wrong with Annalise?" he asked, suddenly defensive. He just had to go there didn't he?

She made a face as a high-pitched voice in the background said "Is that Martha? Say hi. Hi, Martha, hi!"

"Hey, Annalise," she greeted, trying to be enthusiastic about talking to her father's younger, bottle-blond girlfriend.

"Big kiss, lots of love. See you a' the party, babes. Now take me shopping, big boy," she heard Annalise say, and she scoffed and hung up when she heard them kissing.

She looked up just as a light-skinned man with brown hair and eyes, wearing a black pinstripe suit and a light brown tweed trench coat walked up to her. He then went and undid his tie and held it out for her to see, raising an eyebrow at her. "Like so. You see?" he told her, but before she could say anything, he turned and walked off down the street.

_Interesting_, she thought with a laugh. Shaking her head at the craziness she'd just experienced, she smiled a bit and continued her trek up the street to Royal Hope Hospital.

As she walking into the entrance, however, someone completely clothed in black leather and wearing a black motorcycle helmet bumped straight into her and kept walking.

"_Oi!_ Watch it, mate!" she said. Her smile faded when the person slowly turned to look at her. She stared back at him for a moment before he turned and walked through the entrance without even giving her a backward glance.

After signing in at the front desk, she made her way to the staff room. There she opened her locker, set down her bag, and slipped off her jacket. Placing it on the hook, she grabbed her trainee white doctors coat and put it. As she was closing the metal door, a tiny little shock jolted through her fingers and she jerked her hand away. Shaking her head, she closed it and went on her way to catch up with the group of other trainees.

* * *

"I was alright 'til this morning, and then, I don't know, I woke up and I felt all dizzy again. It was worse than when I came in," Miss Finnegan said.

"Pulse is slightly thready," Dr. Stoker said. "Well, let's see what Britain's finest might suggest-Any ideas, Morgenstern?"

The blond male across from her spoke up. "Uh, dizziness could be a sign of early onset diabetes," he said.

"Hardly early onset," Stoker replied. "If you'll forgive me, Miss Finnegan. Any more ideas? Swales."

The tan-skinned girl beside Martha spoke up. "Uh, could recommend a CT scan."

"And spend all our money? Jones."

"We could run bloods and check for Meniere's disease."

"Or we could simply ask the patient," Dr. Stoker told them. He looked down at Miss Finnegan. "What did you have for dinner last night?"

"I had salad," she replied.

"And the night before?"

"Salad, again."

"And salad every night for the past week, contrary to my instructions. Salt deficiency, that's all," he told the group. "Simple, honest salt. This way."

Every scribbled on their clipboards, and when the man turned away to go on to the next patient, the group shuffled after him.

"Hippocrates himself expounded on the virtues of salt," Dr. Stoker said as they rounded the corner of a nurses station. "Recommended the inhalation of steam from seawater. Though, no doubt, if he'd been afflicted with my students, his oaths might have been rather more colorful."

Martha tuned out her teacher as she noticed the leather-clad man that had bumped into her earlier was standing near the elevators. The bell "dinged" and a second leather-clad man stepped out. As she walked through the door to the next room, she watched as they both walked toward the hallway she and her group had just come from.

Dr. Stoker pushed back a blue curtain surrounding one of the beds, and Martha's eyes widened in shock at seeing the exact same man she'd seen this morning laying in the bed. There was a blonde-haired girl with him now, though, sitting in a chair by his bed. They were chatting, and she could immediately tell the girl was American from her accent.

"Now, then, Mr. Smith, a very good morning to you. How are you today?" Dr. Stoker asked.

"Oh, not so bad. Still a bit, you know, blehh," Mr. Smith replied, with a face. He nodded his chin toward the redhead beside him. "Have you met my-"

"Girlfriend," the American finished with a smile. "The name's Avery, nice to meet you all."

"Hullo, Miss Avery," Stoker said, then turned to his students. "John Smith, admitted yesterday with severe abdominal pains. Jones, why don't you see what you can find? Amaze me."

Martha nodded and walked around to the side of the bed. "That wasn't very clever, running around outside, was it?" she told him as she slipped her stethoscope buds into her ears.

"Sorry?" John said, looking confused.

"On Chancellor street this morning. You came up to me and took your tie off."

"Really? Why did I do that?" he asked at the same time his girlfriend, Avery, went, "Why did he do that?"

_God_, Martha thought, _they're perfect for each other_. She shrugged. "I don't know. You just did," she replied, taking out her stethoscope ear buds to hear him better.

"Not me," he said with a slight shake of his head. "I was here in bed, all morning. Ask the nurses. And Avery."

"Well, that's weird, 'cause it looked like you," Martha said. "Have you go' a brotha?"

John shook his head. "No, not anymore. Just me now. And Avery, of course."

"As time passes and I grow ever more infirm and weary, Miss Jones," Dr. Stoker drawled.

Martha blush, smiling sheepishly. "Sorry," she mumbled, sticking the buds back in her ears and pressing the scope to John's chest. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Avery lean forward a bit. She listened closely, but it didn't sound like a regular heartbeat to her. It sounded like . . . something else. She glanced up at John and he smiled at her. Clearing her head, she moved the scope to the other side of his chest and listened there, too, but it was still the same, strange sound as before. John winked at her.

"I weep for future generations. Are you having trouble locating the heart, Miss Jones?" Stoker asked, and she stood up, removing the buds from her ears.

She waved her hand absently. "Um, I don't know. Stomach cramps?"

Stoker shook his head. "That is a symptom, not a diagnosis. And you rather failed basic techniques by not consulting first with the patient's chart." He walked over to the end of the bed and picked up John's patient chart. A shock of electricity went through him and he instantly dropped the chart.

"That happened to me this morning," Martha said.

"I had the same thing on the door handle," Morgenstern said.

"And me, on the lift," Swales added.

"Quite. Well, that's only to be expected," Stoker told them, bending down to pick up the chart. "There's a thunderstorm moving in, and lightening is a form of static electricity, as was first proven by . . . Anyone?"

"Benjamin Franklin," John and Avery said at the same time.

Stoker regarded the couple curiously. "Correct."

"My mate Ben," John said fondly, "that was a day and a half. Got rope burns from that kite, and then I got soaked."

"Quite," Stoker replied.

"And _then_, I got electrocuted," John finished with a smile.

"Moving on," Stoker said loudly, turning away, and the group followed. He leaned over to a male nurse to whisper, "I think perhaps a visit from psychiatric."

The nurse nodded and hurried off.

"And next we have . . ."

Martha looked over her shoulder at John and he smiled at her.

* * *

"No, listen, I've worked out a plan," she told her sister on the phone at lunch. "We tell Annalise that the buffet tonight is 100% carbohydrate and she won't turn up."

"I wish you'd take this seriously," Trish replied her. "That's our inheritance she's spending, on fake tan. Tell you what-I'm not that far away. I'll meet you for a sandwich, we'll draw up a battle plan."

"What, in this weather? I'm not going out, it's pouring down," Martha told her.

"It's no' rainin' here," Trish said, and Martha heard her sister gasp. "God, that's weird, it's rainin' right on top of you-I can see it, but it's dry where I am."

"Well, you just got lucky."

"No, but it's like in cartoons, you know, when a man's got a cloud over his head."

"Yeah, but listen, I tell you what we'll do-" Martha cut herself off. Outside the doorway of the break room was the patient she'd seen earlier, John Smith. He turned and caught her eye, looking straight at her. A push from behind broke their eye contact and sent him walking forward again.

"Go," the American girl's voice whispered, and they raced down the hallway together, out of sight.

Martha shook her head and turned away.

"We tell dad an' Annalise to get there early," she told her sister, "about 7:30, an' we tell Leo to get there at the same time so we can do all tha' birthday stuff. We tell mum to get there for about 8:30/9:00, an' tha' gives me time to have a word with Annalise an' . . ."

Swales, the trainee that had been in her group, suddenly tapped her arm and pointed to the window.

"What?" she asked her.

"The rain . . ."

Martha smiled. "It's only rain."

"Martha," her sister said, "have you seen the rain?"

"Why's everyone fussing about rain?" Martha asked with a laugh.

Swales abandoned the sandwich she was making to move toward the window. "It's going up," she murmured in shock.

"The rain is going _up_," Trish replied in her ear.

Martha looked toward the window, her phone almost slipping from her hand. The rain _was_ going up.

There was a sudden blinding light and the entire hospital started to shake. Martha and Swales shrieked. Martha stumbled over her feet trying to stay balanced and fell to the floor. It was almost like an earthquake, and she and Swales were rolling all over the place, shrieking, until finally . . . the shaking stopped.

Gasping, Martha looked around and then quickly sat up. "What the_ hell_ was that?" she exclaimed.

"Are you alright?" Swales asked, panting, trying to catch her breath.

"I think so, yeah," Martha replied, getting to her feet. "It felt like an earthquake, or-"

Swales looked at her with wide eyes. "Martha, it's night. It-it was lunchtime."

Martha stumbled over to the window with wide eyes. She shook her head. "It's not night," she said as Swales got to her feet.

The student shook her head. "It can't be. It's dark."

"We're on the moon," Martha breathed in shock.

"We can't be."

"We're on the moon," she said again. "We're on the _bloody_ moon."

Wails echoed around the building as the realization sunk in that they were on the moon. While back in London, sirens were going, police were holding people back.

Back from what, you ask?

Well, there's a giant bloody hole in the ground from where Royal Hope Hospital used to be for starters . . .

Trish Jones pressed her phone to her ear. "Martha? Martha? Can you hear me? Are you there? Martha?"

But, of course, Martha couldn't. She was on the bloody _moon_ for Christ's sake!

There's terrible reception up there, you know.

* * *

Martha raced down the hallway of Royal Hope Hospital, Swales following close behind her.

She dodged screaming, crying people, racing for their lives. Dashing into an empty office, she went right up to the window, her eyes wide with disbelief. Back out in the hallway, she started forward.

"Have you seen-" Miss Finnegan asked calmly as she walked past her and Swales.

"Sorry," Martha rushed out. "I can't."

"Alright now, everyone, back to bed," she said when she entered a patient area. "We've got an emergency, but we'll sort it out."

John Smith closed the curtain of a bed around him and Avery as she passed.

Martha went right up to the large window and said, "It's real. It's really real." She heard Swales sobbing behind her. "Hold up," she mumbled, and reached for the window latch.

"Don't!" Swales grabbed her arm. "We'll lose all the air."

"But they're not exactly airtight," Martha told her. "If the air was gonna get sucked out, it would have happened straight away, but it didn't. So how come?"

The curtain behind her swung open and Martha spun around to see John Smith standing before her in a blue suit with a red tie.

"Very good point!" he said. "Brilliant, in fact. What was your name?"

Avery suddenly whooshed past him toward the window and pressed her hands against the glass, staring in awe out at the scene before her. "We're really on the moon!" she exclaimed in amazement. "This is amazing, Doctor! We're on the moon!"

A smile quirked John's lips.

"Martha," Martha told him.

"And it was Jones, wasn't it? Well then, Martha Jones, the question is-how are we still breathing?" He moved over to the window and started to push against them.

"_We can't be!_" Swales cried.

"But, obviously, we are, so don't waste my time," John said quickly. "Martha, what've we got-Is there a balcony on this floor, or a veranda or . . ."

"By the patients floor, yeah," she told him.

"Fancy going out?" he asked.

"Okay."

"We might die."

"We might not," she replied.

"Good, Come on," he smiled and, as he passed, he pointed at Swales and added, "Not her, She'll hold us up."

"Coming, Av-er-ry?" he tossed over his shoulder.

"Alright, alright," the blonde said, and rushed forward to grab hold of John's hand.

Martha quickly followed after them.

A few minutes later they reached the balcony. Silence followed as the three looked at each other then slowly pushed open the two doors. They stepped outside, each taking a deep breath.

Avery's eyes widened. "Doctor?" she gasped, gripping his hand tighter.

John smiled, looking out over the landscape.

A relieved laugh escaped Martha's lips. "We've got air. How does that work?"

"Just be glad it does," he replied.

Martha placed her hands on the ledge and looked out at the earth shining brightly before them. "I've got a party tonight. It's my brotha's 21st. My motha's gonna be really . . . really . . ."

John looked over at her. "You okay?"

She nodded. "Yeah," she said a bit too quickly.

"Sure?"

"Yeah."

"Wanna go back in?"

"No way," Martha told him with a smile. "I mean, we could die any minute, but all the same-It's _beautiful_."

"Do you think?" he asked.

"How many people wan' to go to the moon? An' here we are."

"Standing in the earthlight," he finished, and she glanced over to see that Avery had wrapped her arms around John's waist, his arm draped over her shoulders, holding the blonde close.

"What do you think happened?" Martha asked them.

"What do _you_ think?" John replied, glancing over at her.

She stared at him for a moment before saying, "Extra-terrestrial. It's got to be. I dunno, a few years ago, that would have sounded mad, but these days? That spaceship flying into Big Ben, Christmas, those Cybermen things." She sighed. "I had a cousin-Adeola-she worked at Canary Wharf. She never came home."

"I'm sorry," he murmured.

She sniffed. "Yeah."

"You weren't the only one who had a loved one that didn't come home that day, Martha."

"Are you talking about Rose?" Avery asked him.

John nodded and cleared his throat. "I was there. In the battle-It was . . ." His voice suddenly trailed off, full of pain.

"I promise you, Mr. Smith, we will find a way out," Martha told him. "If we can travel to the moon, then we can travel back. There's _got_ to be a way."

He removed his arm from around Avery and pushed away from the ledge, walking to the other side of the balcony to look over the edge. "It's not 'Smith', that's not my real name."

She turned to look at him and asked, "Who are you, then?"

He glanced at her, a faint smirk on his lips. "I'm the Doctor," he replied simply.

"Me too, if I ever pass my exams," Martha laughed. "What is it, then, _Doctor_ Smith?"

"Just the Doctor."

"How do you mean, just 'the Doctor'?"

"That's exactly it," Avery said mysteriously, grinning at her. "Just . . . 'the Doctor'."

"What, people call you 'the Doctor'?" Martha asked, turning as he went to the other side of the balcony.

"Yeah," both he and Avery said at the same time.

"Well, I'm not," she said. "Far as I'm concerned, you've got to earn that title."

"Well, I better make a start, then. Let's have a look." He bent down to pick up a small rock and threw it hard over over the balcony. "There must be some sort of . . " There was a loud crack, and the air shimmered an electric blue.

"Force field," Avery immediately said. "To keep the air in, right, Doctor?"

Brown eyes going wide, he nodded, mouth dropping open in shock at her quick conclusion.

Martha's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "But if that's like a bubble sealing us in, that means this is the only air we've got. What happens when it runs out?"

"How many people are in this hospital?" the Doctor asked.

"Dunno, a thousand."

"One thousand people, suffocating," Avery breathed, her eyes wide.

All of a sudden there was the sound of an engine whooshing by overhead and they looked up. "Heads up. Ask 'em yourself," the Doctor said, as three silvery cylindrical-type spaceships came flying into view. They all watched-even the people in the hospital-as the spaceships slowly landed in front of the hospital.

"Aliens," Martha breathed. "That's aliens. Real, proper aliens."

"Judoon," was all the Doctor said.

A memory stirred inside Avery at the word. Judoon. Why did it sound familiar?

Out in the distance, the door of each ship opened up and out came three sets of black space-suited creatures, marching toward the hospital in twos.

* * *

Back up in the hospital, Dr. Brian Stoker was in his office, looking through binoculars at his window to get a better look at the creatures coming toward Royal Hope.

"Jesus," he mumbled. The door suddenly opened and he turned around to find one of the patients he'd visited earlier with his teaching group standing in the doorway.

"Mr. Stoker?" She tightly closed the door behind her as she stepped into the room. "I'm sorry, I didn't know who else to ask. But can you help me?"

"I think we've gone beyond aspirin, Miss, uh . . ."

"Finnegan," she said, smiling sweetly.

"Names-What are names now, when something unnameable is marching toward, us across the moon?" he asked wearily. "Two more years, I thought, two more years, and then retire to Florida. But there is Florida. In the sky. I can see it. My daughter, she's still in university-I am never going to see her again."

"But I need help, Mr. Stoker."

"I can't do anything."

She smirked. "Oh, I think you can."

The door opened and two men in black, leather-clad clothes and motorcycle helmets came walking in. They stood behind Miss Finnegan.

"What do you two want?" Stoker asked. "It's a bit too late to sign for anything."

"These are my lovely boys," Miss Finnegan told him. "I prefer not to get my hands dirty."

"I'm sorry?"

"You see, there are great tests to come, and terrible deeds-some of them my own. But if I'm to survive this," she told him. "I need you."

Stoker's forehead wrinkled in confusion. "What're you talking about?"

"Blood. Specifically, _yours_." She snapped her fingers and the black-clad men stepped forward.

"What are you doing?" The men stepped forward and grabbed his arms, pressing his back into the wall so he couldn't move. "What are you doing?Well, let go of me! _What the hell?_ _Let go_!"

"You see," Miss Finnegan said, walking toward him with a gleam in her eyes. "I was only sal-deficient because I'm so very good at absorbing it. But now I need fire in my veins, and who better than a consultant, with blood full of salty fats and vintage wine, and all those michelin-star sauces." She smacked her lips, grinning.

"Who are you?" Stoker breathed.

"Oh, I'm a survivor, Mr. Stoker. At any cost." She opened the handbag on her shoulder and plucked a straw from inside. "Look! I've even brought a straw."

Stoker gasped.

She came at him, straw aimed for his neck.

The good Doctor Stoker screamed until his last breath.

* * *

Morgenstern and several other nurses and patients watched from Royal Hope lobby as the aliens came marching up. The passed through that invisible barrier and everyone started screaming and running to get away hiding behind the chairs, watching and waiting to see what was going to happen. The creatures walked through the automatic doors and marched into the waiting room, several blocking the exits and hallways so no one could run. One creature stopped in the middle of the waiting room. Covered from head-to-toe in black leather, he raised his arms and pulled off the helmet covering its face with a hiss and pop of air.

Everyone screamed when the alien's face turned out to be an alien rhino's face.

"_Bo! Sco! Fo! Do! No! Kro! Blo! Co! Sho! Ro!"_

All the other aliens immediately pulled out large red guns.

Morgenstern took a deep breath and stepped toward the alien. "Uh, we are citizens of planet earth. We welcome you in peace." The creature turned and put a hand on his shoulder, pushing him back until his back hit the wall. The creature pulled out a rectangular red device and pointed it at Morgenstern's mouth, shining his lips with a blue light. "P-p-please don't hurt me. I was just trying to help. I'm sorry, don't hurt me. P-please don't hurt me."

The creature took away the device, pressed a button, and Morgenstern heard the sound of his own voice being played in fast motion. The rhino then hooked the device into a hollow red hole just underneath his helmet.

"Language assimilated," it said in a deep, rumbling voice-almost like it had been chewing on gravel. "Designation: Earth English. You will be catalogued," it told Morgenstern. It held up the red device again and it whirred. "Category: Human." It took Morgenstern's hand and drew a black "x" on the back of it.

The rhino stepped away and faced the other Humans. "Catalogue all other suspects," it rumbled. Every creature stepped forward and began to brand the other Humans in the waiting room as the leader had to Morgenstern.

As this was happening, the Doctor, Martha, and Avery crept up to the balcony overlooking the lobby.

"Oh, look down there. You got a little shop." His voice dropped to a whisper. "_I like a little shop._"

Martha rolled her eyes.

"Never mind your fascination with little shops," Avery said. "What are Judoon?"

"They're like police. Well, police for hire. They're more like interplanetary thugs," the Doctor told them.

"And they brought us to the moon?" Martha asked.

"Neutral territory," Avery suddenly muttered, surprising herself and the Doctor. "According to galactic law, they've got no jurisdiction over the Earth, and they've isolated it. Remember that rain? And the Lightning? That was them, using an H2O scoop."

The Doctor gaped at her, brown eyes wide. "How did you-"

Her eyes widened and she covered her mouth with her hands, shaking her head. "I don't know!"

Martha looked back-and-forth between the two with a curious expression before shifting her gaze back to the Judoon in the lobby. "What're you on about, galactic law?" she chuckled with a shake of her head. "Where'd you get that from?" Out of the corner of her eye she saw the Doctor and Avery suddenly slink away to the other side of the balcony and she quickly followed after them. She peered over the edge like Avery was doing. "If they're police, are we under arrest?" she asked. "Are we trespassing on the moon or something?"

"No, but I like that," the Doctor replied, turning to look at her as she crouched down beside him. "Good thinking-No, I wish it were that simple. They're making a catalogue. That means they're after something non-human, which is very bad news for me."

Martha turned to look at him, skeptical. "Oh, you've got to be kidding me," she said, and he raised an eyebrow at her. "Don't be ridiculous. Stop looking at me like that."

"Come on, then," he told her, getting to his feet.

She looked at Avery, still peering over the balcony. "You don't seem so surprised that you're boyfriend's just announced he's not human."

"First off," Avery said, straightening and brushing off her jeans. "He's not my boyfriend. Second, he told me the other day when we checked him in here. So it's not all that surprising, really." She turned and headed after the Doctor. "Hey, wait up!" she loud-whispered.

Martha slowly grinned and took off after the American.

"Troop 5, floor 1. Troop 6, floor 2," the leader rumbled from down in the lobby, and two groups of the aliens headed off in those directions. "Identify humans and find the transgressor. Find it!"


	3. Episode 1 Part B: Avery, Smith, & Jones

**Episode 1 Part B: **_"Avery, Smith, & Jones"_

The Doctor dashed through a doorway and down a hallway several floors up, Avery and Martha quickly following on behind him.

At the same time Morgenstern was quickly following after the alien leader sveral floors below.

"Prepare to be catalogued!" it rumbled as it stomped down the hallway.

Patients screamed and cried when the aliens came up them, shining strange lights and marking their hands.

"Do what they say," Morgenstern said. "All they want to do is shine this light thing, it's all right. Just listen to them."

A male patient in a black t-shirt suddenly grabbed a porcelain pot and smashed it over the head of one of the aliens.

"Witness the crime," the leader rumbled. "Charge: Physical assault. Plea: Guilty. Sentence: Execution." The alien pulled a red gun from the holster on its hip and pointed it at the human. A beam of red light shot toward the man and disintegrated him from inside out.

"You didn't have to do that," Morgenstern told the alien leader.

"Justice is swift," it rumbled, and walked on.

* * *

Martha rushed into the lab she saw the Doctor and Avery go into to find him scanning the computer with some kind of strange device that glowed and whirred.

"They've reached the third floor," she told them, then nodded her head at the device. "What's that thing?"

"Sonic Screwdriver," he and Avery said at the same time.

"Well, if you're not going to answer me properly, " Martha drawled.

The Doctor turned in his chair to look at her, his expression completely dumbfounded. "No, really it is, it's a Sonic Screwdriver, an' it's" -he held it up for her to see and clicked it, making it buzz- "sonic, look."

Martha stifled a giggle as he turned back to the computer. "What else have you got, a laser spanner?"

"I did, but it was stolen by Emily Pankhurst-cheeky woman." He groaned in frustration and hit the side of the computer, almost knocking it over. "What's wrong with this computa?!"

"Careful there, cowboy," Avery chuckled. "Don't need you breaking the hospital's things now."

"The Judoon must have locked it down. Judoon platoon upon the moon," he mumbled to himself, rubbing his chin. " 'Cause we were just traveling past, I swear Avery and I were just wandering, I wasn't looking for trouble-honestly I wasn't. But I noticed these plasma coils around the hospital. That lightning-that's plasma coils, been building up for two days now, so I checked in. I thought something was going on _inside_. Turns out the plasma coils were the Judoon up above."

"But what are they looking for?" Martha asked.

"Something that looks human but isn't, as it turns out," Avery replied.

"Take you, apparently."

"Like me, but not me," he said, glancing at Martha over his shoulder.

"Haven't they got a photo or something?" she asked.

"Ah, might be a shape-changer," Avery said absently, watching as the Doctor scrolled through the files on the computer.

"Whatever it is, can't you just leave the Judoon to find it?" Martha said.

"If they declare the hospital guilty of harboring a fugitive, they'll sentence it to execution," he said.

"All of us?"

"Oh, yes, but if I can find this thing first-Oh!" he suddenly exclaimed, causing Martha to stumble back in surprise. "Do you see! They're thick! Judoon are thick, they are so completely thick-" The screen suddenly blanked out and strange black symbols on a red and yellow background filled the screen.

"And they've completely wiped out the records," Avery said with a laugh.

"Oh, that's clever," the Doctor said, running a hand through his hair.

"What're we looking for?" Martha asked.

Both hands went through his hair this time, making it stick up on end. "I don't know, say, any patients admitted in the last week with unusual symptoms-maybe there's a backup," he said and picked up the computer, turning it upside down to scan it with the Sonic Screwdriver.

"Keep working, I'll just go and ask Mr. Stoker. He might know." Martha rushed out of the room and made it to Mr. Stoker's office a few minutes later. She pushed open the door. "Mr. Stoker-" She cut herself off at the disgusting sound of slurping.

There were two men standing behind the desk, just like the ones she'd seen earlier, all dressed in black. Miss Finnegan's head popped up, a straw between her lips.

Martha's eyes widened and she bolted.

"Kill her!" she heard the elderly woman shout behind her, and she ran straight into the Doctor and Avery.

"He's restored the backup," Avery said.

"I found her," Martha told them.

"You what?" the Doctor said, confused. There was a crash and they turned to see the black-clad men kicking down Mr. Stoker's office door. The Doctor absently grabbed the closest hand-which just so happened to be Martha's-and shouted: "Run!"

"Doctor!" Avery shouted. "Wait for me!"

"Hurry!" he said.

Avery stuck her hand in her pocket, just to feel the cool metal of the watch and make sure it was still there, and suddenly stumbled, tripping over something she hadn't seen before. Her hand instinctively curled around the watch and she accidentally pressed the button to open it; she screamed. "Doctor!"

He looked back in time to see a yellow light completely envelope Avery. "Avery!" He dropped Martha's hand and ran back, only to skid to a halt as the light disappeared and he saw Avery, fighting the men that were after them with her bare hands. He stood slack-jawed as he watched her punch and kick.

"Don't mess with a Time Lady with a black-belt," she snarled, doing a spin-kick and hitting one of the men square in the chest, sending him flying backwards.

"Avery . . ." the Doctor breathed in shock.

She turned, and once she recognized who he was she bounded forward, grinning, to give him a hug. "John! Come on, you cheeky bastard, we haven't got long," she exclaimed, grabbing his hand and pulling him forward.

"Bu-but, I don't undastand," he said, eyes wide. "A Time Lady? How is it possible? I don-"

"I'll explain later," she said with a wink. "And just remember, John, I still haven't forgiven you for what you did to Gallifrey . . . even if it was to stop the Daleks from taking over. Gallifrey was our home after all, we grew up there together."

"There's one still after us!" Martha shouted.

The Doctor shook himself and pushed forward, dragging a grinning Avery with him. "This way!" he said, and they rounded a corner, pushing open a door that was marked 'stairs.' They went down two flights before coming into contact with a group of Judoon coming up and the Doctor abruptly switched routes, dashing for a door that led him and the girls out into another hallway.

They ran and ran and ran and ran. Ran until they finally crashed through the door of one of Rehumatology Ward seven's x-ray rooms and the Doctor soniced it closed.

"When I say 'now', press the button!" the Doctor shouted at Martha.

"But I don't know which one!" she cried.

"Then find out!" both the Doctor and Avery said at the same time.

Martha went over to the console and stared at it for a moment before looking around and grabbing the Operator's Manual off the table.

The Doctor went about sonicing the machine as the door started to rattle. "So, tell me what this is all about," he said to Avery. "A Time Lady? It can't be possible. I'm the only one left. I should know, because I was there."

"I bailed," she admitted softly. "I stole a TARDIS and ran away-if you can believe that."

"I stole one too."

She snorted, rolling her eyes. "Yeah, a faulty one."

"Oi! She's beautiful!"

Avery smiled. "That she is. Anyway, I, um, I was trapped, so I ran from the Daleks. One of their ships followed me though, shot my TARDIS down and destroyed it in America, that's why I've got their funny accent. I ended up regenerating, turning into this" -she ran her hands down her body and couldn't help but notice that the Doctor followed them- "and had to hide myself. So I used my watch to hold my memories. Make me Human for a bit, y'know? Still can't figure out how I ended up in London though."

He nodded, fiddling with the machine. "I understand. Gotta do what you have to to survive."

"You'd know all about that, wouldn't you, John?"

He ignored he and went back to sonicing the machine before turning it to face the door.

It slammed open.

"Now!" the Doctor shouted.

Martha slammed her hand down on a big yellow button and pulsing white light began to eminate from the x-ray machine. The leather-clad man's body shook as the radiation light enveloped him and then slowly dimmed as Martha turned the machine back off when Avery signaled for her to do so. The man collapsed to the floor, unmoving.

They all stared.

"What did you do?" Martha breathed in shock.

"Increased the radiation by 5,000%. Killed him dead," the Doctor replied.

"But isn't that gonna kill you?" Martha asked.

"Nahh," Avery said. "It's only Roentgen Radiation. We used to play with Roentgen Bricks in the nursery."

"It's safe for you to come out," the Doctor told her. "Avery and I've absorbed it all." They both shuddered, squaring their shoulders. "Just need to expel it is all. Mm, if we concentrate-"

They both started to bounce on the balls of their feet.

"Ah," Avery said. "Shift the radiation out of our bodies into one spot. It's in my right shoe."

"It's in my _left_ shoe," the Doctor mumbled. He started to bounce on one foot as Avery did the same. "Here we go, here we go. Easy does it. Out, out, out. Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow!"

"Ah, ah, ah, ah!" Avery hissed as she began to dance around the room, her foot burning. "Itches, itches, itches, itches, oh!"

"Ah, hold on," they both said at the same time, pulling off their shoes as they hopped. They threw it into the trash bin and turned to Martha with identical grins on their faces.

"There, all done," Avery told her.

Marth stared at them both, wide-eyed. "You're completely mad. Both of you."

"You're right," the Doctor said after a moment, glancing down at his and Avery's feet. "We look daft in only one shoe."

Both Time Lords bent down and removed their other shoe, throwing them into the trash bin.

"Right," Avery said with a grin, doing a little dance and making the Doctor laugh. "Barefoot on the moon, let's rock and roll guys."

The Doctor grinned while Martha rolled her eyes and turned away to walk over to the dead man on the floor, kneeling down next to him. "So, what is that thing, and where's it come from-The planet Zovirax?"

"It's just a Slab," the Doctor replied, kneeling down with Avery beside him. She tapped at it's helmet, making his lips twitch. "They're called Slabs. Basic slaves drones, see?" He poked the man. "Solid leather, all the way through."

"Someone's got one hell of a fetish," Avery joked as the Doctor got to his feet to sonic the machine again.

"It was that woman, Miss Finnegan," Martha said, getting to her feet. "It was working for her, just like a servant."

There was a sudden fizz and the Doctor turned away from the machine with a look of despair, staring at his charred Sonic Screwdriver.

"Your Sonic," Avery gasped, jumping to her feet.

"She was one of the patients, but-"

The Doctor cut her off. "Burnt out my Sonic Screwdriver."

"She had this straw, like some sort of vampire," Martha was still saying.

"I love my Sonic Screwdriver!" the Doctor cried.

"Doctor!" Martha exclaimed.

He suddenly threw the Screwdriver over his shoulder as he turned to look at her as it clattered to the floor. "Sorry," he said, then grinned. "You called me 'Doctor'."

"Anyway," Martha said. "Miss Finnegan is the alien. She was drinking Mr. Stoker's blood."

"Funny time to take a snack," Avery said, glancing up at the Doctor with a worried expression. "You'd think she'd be hiding, wouldn't she?"

"Unless," the Doctor said, eyes widening.

"No," Avery breathed, staring at him with wide eyes.

"Yes, that's it!"

"Wait a minute!"

"Yes!" they exclaimed together.

"A Shape-changer! Internal Shape-Changer!" the Doctor cried.

"She wasn't drinking blood," Avery said. "She was _assimilating_ it."

"If she can assimliate Mr. Stoker's blood," he told Martha. "Mimic the biology, she'll register as Human. We've got to find her and show the Judoon. Come on!"

* * *

Miss Finnegan the Alien was walking out of Mr. Stoker's office when there were sudden screams.

"Prepare to be catalogued," the Judoon leader's voice grumbled as it turned the corridor. He stopped to catalog a passing Human, then walked right up to her and waved the cataloging device in her face, bathing it in blue light.

"Human," it grumbled, taking her hand and drawing a black 'x' on the back of it.

She held up her hand and smiled smugly as the Judoon walked on.

* * *

Crouched down in the hallway, Martha, Avery, and The Doctor watched as the second Slab creature walked past them.

"That's the thing about Slabs," the Doctor whispered. "They always travel in pairs."

"What about you two, then?" Martha asked.

"What about us, what?" Avery said.

"Haven't you got back-up or something?" Martha replied. "You two must have someone else with you, right? Some extra help, maybe?"

The Doctor scoffed, shaking his head as he stared at Martha in disbelief. "Humans," he said with a glance at Avery, who rolled her eyes. "We're stuck on the moon, running out of air, with Judoon and a bloodsucking criminal. You're asking personal questions! Come on!"

"I like that, 'Humans'," Martha grumbled as the three of them got to their feet. "I'm still not conviced you're an alien."

They turned, coming face-to-face with several Judoon.

One of them waved it's cataloguing device at the Doctor and another waved it's device at Avery. "Nonhuman," the two Judoon grumbled.

"Ohmigod," Martha breathed. "You really are! And so is she!"

The Doctor grabbed both girls hands this time. "And again!" he shouted, rushing off down the hallway.

The Judoon pulled out their guns. Three blasts of red beams shot out and barely missed them.

The three of them ran down the stairs to the seventh floor, the Judoon following quickly behind. They raced through a doorway and the Doctor closed it, turning the lock before they headed into the hallway.

"They've already done this floor," Avery observed as they walked. Martha had dropped the Doctor's hand when they were on the stairs, but she clung tightly to it, never wanting to let go of the last Time Lord.

"The Judoon are logical and just a little bit thick," he was saying. "They won't go back to check a floor they've already checked. If we're lucky."

Martha suddenly stopped, catching sight of Swales feeding oxygen to a patient. She kneeled down beside her. "How much oxygen is there?"

"Not enough for all these people," Swales replied. "We're going to run out."

"How're you feeling? You all right?" the Doctor asked Martha.

She grinned. "I'm running on adrenaline."

"Welcome to my world," he said.

"What about the Judoon?" Martha asked.

"They've got great big lung reserves. Won't slow them down," Avery replied, glancing around. "Where's Mr. Stoker's office?"

Martha got to her feet. "It's this way."

They turned the next corner and slowed, noticing the door was open, but found the room empty. The two Time Lords rushed over to Mr. Stoker, dead on the floor of his office.

"She's gone," Martha gaped. "She was here."

Avery stared down at gray Mr. Stoker. "Drained him dry," she said. "Every last drop. You were right, John, she's a Plasmavore."

"What's she doing on Earth?" Martha asked.

"Hiding," the Doctor replied. "On the run. Like Ronald Biggs in Rio De Janeiro."

"What's she doing now?" Avery wondered. "She's still not safe. The Judoon could execute us all."

"Come on," he said, him and Avery rushing for the door.

"Wait a minute," Martha said softly, and they turned to see her walk over and gently close Mr. Stoker's eyes.

"Think, think, think," the Doctor mumbled to himself back out in the hallway. "Avery, if you you were a wanted Plasmavore surrounded by police, what would you do?"

"Um . . ." She glanced around for a moment before her eyes locked on a sign pointing for MRI's. She nodded her chin at the red sign. "I know what'd I do."

He grinned. "Oh, she's as clever as the both of us."

"Almost," Avery chimed.

There was a loud bang and people started screaming as Judoon came barreling down the hallway. "Find the nonhumans," one of them grumbled. "And execute them."

"Martha, stay here," the Doctor said.

"We need time," Avery told her. "You've got to hold them up."

Her eyes widened. "How do I do that?"

"Just-" the Doctor sighed. "Forgive me for this, Martha. It could save a thousand lives. It means nothing." Martha nodded. "Honestly, nothing."

He suddenly grabbed Martha's face in his hands and kissed her, breaking it off a few seconds later when Avery tugged on his sleeve and they raced away around the corner.

Martha stood there for a moment, dazed. "That . . . was nothing?"

* * *

The Doctor and Avery raced down the hallway toward MRI.

They came to a stop at a door when a bright white light flashed from behind it. Ever so slowly the Doctor pushed open the door. There they found Miss Finnegan the Alien, fiddling away with the MRI machines.

"Have you seen?" the Doctor suddenly said, pointing toward the door when she whipped around to face them at the soound of his voice. "There are these things. These great big space rhino things, I mean, rhinos from space!"

"Can you believe it?" Avery breathed, widening her eyes as she played along. "John thinks we're hallucinating from lack of oxygen, but they're actually properly here. Rhinos, from space!"

"And we're on the moon!" he continued. "Great big space rhinos with guns on the moon! And I only came in for my bunions-look!" He lifted up one of his feet. "All fixed now, perfectly good treatment. The nurses were lovely. I said to my wife, Avery, here-I said, I'd recommend this place to anyone, but then we ended up on the moon! And . . . did I mention the rhinos?"

Miss Finnegan came forward. "Hold them," she said.

Two Slabs came out of nowhere, grabbing Avery and the Doctor's arms.

* * *

The Judoon crashed through the doors, the leader grumbling, "Find the nonhumans. Execute."

Martha took a deep breath as they came toward her and squared her shoulders. "Now, listen, I know who you're looking for. She's this woman. She calls herself Florence."

The leader took out his device and waved it at her face. "Human," it grumbled. "Wait. Nonhuman trace suspected." A gun was pointed at her. "Nonhuman element confirmed. Authorize full scan."

It pushed Martha back up against the wall and she closed her eyes, entire body shaking.

"What are you?" it said. "What are you?"

* * *

Avery and the Doctor watched as Miss Finnegan fiddled with the big MRI machine. It began to buzz.

"Um," he said. "That-that big, um, machine thing, is it supposed to be making that noise?"

Miss Finnegan waved his off. "You wouldn't understand."

"But isn't that a-a Magnetic Resonance Imaging thing?" Avery asked. "Like a-a ginormous sort of magnet?

"I did magnetics GCSE," the Doctor added. "Well, I failed, but all the same."

"The magnetic setting now increased to 50,000 TESLA," Miss Finnegan said.

"Ooh, that's a bit strong, isn't it?" the Doctor asked with a grimace.

"It'll send out a magnetic pulse that'll fry the brain stems of every living thing within 250,000 miles," Miss Finnegan replied, turning to look at them with a smile. "Except for me, safe in this room." She walked away toward the controls.

"But, um-hold on, hold on," Avery said. "I did-I did geography GCSE. I passed that one. Doesn't that distance include the earth?"

"Only the side facing the moon," Miss Finnegan said. "The other half will survive. Call it my little gift."

"Sorry, you'll have to excuse me," the Doctor said. "I'm a little out of my depth. I've spent the past 15 years working as a postman, hence the bunions. Why would you do that?"

"With everyone dead, the Judoon ships will be mine to make my escape."

"No," Avery laughed. "That's weird. You're talking like you're some sort of an alien."

Miss Finnegan turned to them with a wicked grin. "Quite so."

"No!" Avery and the Doctor breathed at the same time.

"Oh, yes," said Miss Finnegan.

"You're joshing us," the Doctor said, eyebrows raised.

"I am not."

"We're talking to an alien? In a hospital?" Avery asked with a grin. "What, has this place got an E.T. Department or something?"

"It's the perfect hiding place," Miss Finnegan told them. "Blood banks downstairs for a midnight feast and all this equipment ready to arm myself with, should the police come looking."

The Doctor's eyes widened. "So, those rhinos, they're looking for _you_."

"Yes." She came forward and flashed the black 'x' on the back of her hand. "But I'm . . . hidden."

Realization dawned on his face. "Right."

She turned away, satisfied with his response.

"Then maybe that's why they're increasing their scans," Avery said after a moment.

Miss Finnegan abruptly turned back to them, eyes wide. "They're doing what?"

The Doctor cocked his head toward the door. "Hm, ah, big chief rhino boy, he said, 'No sign of a nonhuman. We must increase our scans up to setting 2'?"

"Then I must assimilate again."

"What does that mean?" Avery tried to appeared genuinely curious-although she already knew what it meant.

"I must appear to be human," Miss Finnegan said, walking back over to the controls.

"Well, you're welcome to back home with me and the wife," the Doctor told her. "We've got a nice little flat just down the way. Not much but it'll do. Right, love?" He turned to Avery.

"Right," Avery said. "We can have brunch out in the garden. We've got a nice little garden. John loves a little a garden like he loves a little shop."

The Doctor grinned boyishly. "Oh, I love a little shop."

"See?" Avery laughed. "But, yeah, you can come by. Have a little cake. Won't that be fun?"

"Why should I have cake?" Miss Finnegan came forward, pulling a straw from her handbag. "I've got my little straw."

"Oh, that's nice. Milkshake?" the Doctor asked brightly. "I like banana. Avery over there likes strawberry."

"You're quite the funny man," Miss Finnegan told him, her voice dropping to a whisper. "And yet, I think, laughing on purpose at the darkness. I think it's time you found some peace. Steady him," she told the Slab, who grabbed the Doctor's hair a bit roughly and pushed him to his knees so his neck was in full view.

"What're you doing?" Avery cried, trying to appear distraught over her supposed 'husband' but knowing full well this was just part of plan.

"Don't worry, dear," Miss Finnegan told her. "You'll get your turn." She turned back to the Doctor and stroked his neck. "I'm afraid this is going to hurt. But if it's any consolation the dead don't tend to remember."

She stuck the straw into his neck and began to drink.

* * *

"Confirm-Human," the Judoon leader grumbled, drawing a black 'x' on the back of Martha's hand. "Traces of facial contact with nonhuman. Continue the search." He handed her a little booklet with writing she couldn't make out.

"What's this?" she asked.

"Compensation," it told her.

* * *

Avery's vision swam as Miss Finnegan drank from the straw in her neck. As the blackness began to take over she glanced over at the Doctor lying motionless on the floor beside them, tears in her eyes. She knew this was all part of the plan, but dammit all, why'd he have to be so still?

The door suddenly flew open, revealing several Judoon and their leader in the doorway.

Miss Finnegan released her instantly, letting her drop unconscious to the floor. "Now see what you've done," she told the Judoon, pointing to them. "These two people just died of fright."

"Scan them!" the leader barked, and one of the other Judoon brought out it's scanner and waved it over the Doctor and Avery. It gave a blaring bleep.

"Confirmation-Deceased," the Judoon said as Martha came racing around the corner at that moment.

"No, they can't be," she said. "Let me through. Let me see them!"

One of the Judoon placed it's hand on her shoulder, holding her back. "Stop. Case closed."

"But it was her," Martha told them, staring wide-eyed at Miss Finnegan. "She killed them. She did. She murdered them!"

"Judoon have no authority over Human crime," the leader said.

"But she's not Human," Martha said.

"Oh, but I am," Miss Finnegan said instantly, holding up her marked hand. "I've been catalogued."

"But she's not. She assimil-Wait a minute. You drank their blood. The Doctor and Avery's blood?" Martha grabbed one of the scanners and point it at the elderly woman.

"Oh, I don't mind," she said. "Scan all you like."

"Nonhuman," the Judoon leader said when the scanner beeped.

"What?" Miss Finnegan spluttered.

"Confirm analysis." The Judoon all brought out their scanners.

"Oh, but it's a mistake, surely. I'm Human. I'm as Human as they come."

"They gave their lives so they'd find you," Martha said softly, grinning.

"Confirmation-Plasmavore. Charged with the crime of murdering the child princess of Padrivole Regency Nine."

"Well, she deserved it. Those pink cheeks and those blonde curls and that simpering voice," the Plasmavore mocked. "She was begging for the bite of a Plasmavore."

"Then you confess?" the Judoon asked.

She scoffed. "Confess? I'm proud of it!" She turned and raced away toward MRI controls, calling over her shoulder, "Slab, stop them!"

The Slab was killed instantly by the gun of a Judoon soldier.

"Verdict-Guilty. Sentence-Execution."

The MRI computer screen suddenly flashed the words "**MAGNETIC OVERLOAD**" in big red letters on its screen.

Martha dropped to her knees and covered her head as the Judoon brandished their weapons.

"Enjoy your victory, Judoon," Miss Finnegan said from behind the glass wall. "Because you're gonna burn with me! Burn in he-"

The Judoon fired, four blasts of red light disintegrating the glass and killing the Plasmavore.

"Case closed," the leader grumbled.

"But what did she mean, 'burn with me'?" Martha asked, glancing over at the MRI scanner. "The scanner shouldn't be doing that. She's done something."

The leader walked over to the MRI scanner and pulled out his own, waving it and it's blue light over it when the alarms started beeping. "Scans detect lethal acceleration of mono-magnetic pulse."

"Well, do something," Martha told it. "Stop it!"

It turned back to her and rumbled, "Our jurisdiction has ended. Judoon will evacuate."

"What?" she said. "You can't just leave it. What's it gonna do?"

The leader spoke into the scanner. "All units withdraw."

The was a great rumbling throughout the hospital as every single Judoon left the premises.

"What about the air?" Morgenstern mumbled down in the lobby. "We're running out of air."

"You can't go!" Martha shouted at the Judoon as they marched away. That thing's going to explode, and it's all your fault!" With a gasp she raced back into the MRI room and began to do CPR on the Doctor.

"One, two, three, four, five. One, two, three, four, five," she said to herself, then realization dawned. "Two hearts . . ." She did the count on side of his chest and then the other, taking her last deep breath before doing mouth-to-mouth.

The Doctor suddenly coughed, pushing Martha away, and she dropped to the floor.

"The scanner," she breathed. "She did something . . ."

He glanced over at the scanner before his eyes flicked over to Avery lying motionless on the ground on the other side of Martha. He delved into another fit of coughing as blue electrical pulses streamed their way through the entire hospital. Making one of the hardest decision of his life, he left Avery lying there and dragged himself toward MRI controls. He reached into his pocket and cursed under his breath as he remembered he'd thrown the Sonic away because it had gotten charred to bits. He moved over to power supply and grappled with the decision over which cord to pull: the blue or the red.

"Oh, blue, no," he grumbled, and moved for the red one; the scanner shut down instantly.

Just after he did that, he quickly made his way over to Avery and cursed himself. He'd just found her, found another Time Lord, and now he was once again the last of them. He was all alone. He closed his eyes and gently kissed her forehead, letting his lips linger, not noticing that as he did so he'd inadvertently passed along just a tiny sliver of regeneration energy over to her.

"I'm sorry," he told her when he pulled away, tears in his eyes. "I'm so, so sorry, Avery. It would have been nice not to be on my own again. We could've had some adventures, you and I." He took a deep shuddering breath and pulled himself to his feet.

A few minutes later he was walking slowly down the hallway with an unconscious Martha in his arms, toward the front of the hospital. Once there, he watched as the Judoon rockets prepared for lift-off.

"Come on, come on, come on. Come on, please," he mumbled. "Come on, Judoon, reverse it." It started to rain and he grinned broadly, glancing down at Martha in his arms. "It's raining, Martha," he told her. "It's raining on the moon."

There was blast of white light and suddenly they were back on Earth, in London, England.

* * *

"I was like an Ambassador. I represented the Human race," Morgenstern was saying to the police officer. "I told them, 'You can't do that.' I said, 'We have rights'."

"Martha!" a voice suddenly cried, and she turned away from the EMT and into her sister's hug. "Ohmygod! I thought you were dead, what happened? It was so weird, 'cause the police wouldn't say. They didn't have a clue. And I tried phoning. Mum's on her way, but she can't get through. They've closed off all the roads."

But Martha wasn't listening to Trish anymore, she was watching as the Doctor headed for a blue Police Box across the street. He waved and smiled, but she could tell something was wrong, because he looked a bit too forlorn for man who just saved the Earth. Realization hit her after a second or two. Avery wasn't with him. The gorgeous, American blonde who seemed to know everything and anything about the Doctor. She'd died back there and Martha only had enough time to save him, and he only had enough time to save everyone else _but_ Avery.

"There's thousands of people trying to get in. The whole city's come to a halt. And dad phoned, 'cause it's on the news and everything. He was crying."

There was _vworp vworp_ kind of sound and Martha glanced back over at the blue box to find it wasn't there.

"Ohmigod, I've been a mess," Trish was saying. "But what happened? I mean, what _really_ happened? Where were you?"

And the thing was, Martha couldn't even begin to explain.

* * *

"Eyewitness reports from Royal Hope Hospital continue to pour in. And all seem to be remarkably consistent. This from medical student Oliver Morgenstern. _'I was there. I saw it happen. And I feel uniquely privileged. I looked out at the surface of the moon. I saw the Earth, suspended in space. And it all just proves Mr. Saxon right. We're not alone in the universe. There's life out there-wild and extraordinary life'."_

* * *

"I am not staying in there to be insulted!" Annalise cried in anger

"She didn't mean it, sweetheart," Clive Jones exclaimed as he raced out of Market Tavern after his girlfriend. "She was just saying you look healthy."

"No, I did not," Sara Jones said and he shot his ex-wife and incredulous look. "I said, 'orange'."

"Clive, that woman is disrespecting me. She's never liked me," the blonde said.

"Oh, I can't think why, after you _stole my husband._"

"I was seduced," Annalise retorted with a pout, turning to Clive. "I'm entirely innocent. Tell 'er, babes.'

Martha and her siblings came following after them just as their mother said, "And then she has a go at Martha. Practically accused her of making the whole thing up."

"Mum, I don't mind," she said. "Just leave it."

"Oh. 'I've been to the moon'," Annalise drawled mockingly. "As if. They were drugged. It said so on the news!"

"Since when did you watch the news?" Sara shot back. "You can't handle 'Quizmania'!"

"Annalise started it. She did. I heard her," Trish said.

"Don't make it worse," Leo snapped at their sister.

"Come off it, Leo. What did she buy you? Soap! A 75-pence soap."

"Oh, I'm never talking to your family again!" Annalise growled, turning on her heel and walking away.

"Oh, stay," Sara said. "Have a nice party, Clive."

"Annalise, Don't you dare," Clive was saying. "I'm putting my foot down!"

"Are you coming?" she asked impatiently.

"Make a fool of yourself!" Sara said. "God knows you've been doing it for the last twenty-five years! Why stop now?!"

"This is me putting my foot down," Clive snapped, then seemed to think better of of being angry at his girlfriend and decided to follow after her. "Annalise," he begged. "Come back!"

"Dad!" Trish cried, starting to follow after him, then switched routes as their mother walked off. "Mum, don't! I asked the deejay and he's playing that song . . ."

Martha stood there outside the bar, tears prickling her eyes. She couldn't believe this. What was wrong with her family? Why were they so fucked up? She sighed and started to head off down the street, but stopped abruptly when she saw the Doctor leaning up against the corner of the building across the street.

She gasped.

His lips pulled at the corners and she cocked her head to the side when he turned and walked down the alleyway. Out of intense curiosity she quickly followed after him, walking behind the building to find him leaning against a large blue box. She chuckled, staring at him, and he stared back.

"I went to the moon today," she said.

"A bit more peaceful than down here," he drawled.

She started walking toward him. "You never even told me who you are."

"The Doctor."

"I heard Avery say-" She stopped abruptly when he winced at the dead girl's name. "Sorry."

He shrugged, his face going blank.

"But what sort of species?" she asked him. "It's not every day I get to ask that."

"I'm a Time Lord, just like Avery is-was." He swallowed hard. "Now I am _literally_ the last of my kind."

"Right!" Martha breathed. "Not pompous at all, then."

The Doctor grinned, laughing softly to himself. "I just thought that since you saved my life" -he pulled out a Sonic Screwdriver from his coat pocket- "and I've got a brand-new Sonic Screwdriver which needs road-testing, you might fancy a trip."

"What, into space?"

He clicked his tongue. "Well."

"But I can't," she told him as he crossed his arms against his chest. "I've got exams. I've got things to do. I have to go into town first thing and pay rent. I've got my family going mad. And-"

"If it helps," he interrupted. "I can travel in time, as well."

She snorted. "Ge' ou' of here."

"I can."

"Come on, now, that's going too far."

"I'll prove it," he said, turning abruptly and slipping inside the blue box. Her jaw dropped up and she stumbled back in surprise when it started to disappear with a _vworp vworp_ echoing in the alleyway.

"He always liked to show off," a voice from behind her laughed, and Martha spun around to find a redheaded girl standing there, blue eyes twinkling.

"Who're you?" Marth gasped.

The girl snapped her fingers as she came forward-she seemed to be wearing the same clothes as the Doctor's friend from earlier, Avery. "Of course," she said. "I forgot you wouldn't recognize me now. It's me, Martha, Avery."

Martha stared, she didn't look or sound quite like Avery anymore. "You've got to be kidding me."

Avery shook her head. " 'Fraid not. Sorry."

"But you're _dead_," Martha breathed in shock.

"Was dead," Avery corrected with a grin. "Past tense." She grinned as the _vworp vworp_ sounded again. "Oh, here he comes. Let's give him a right surprise, shall we?" She winked at Martha.

The blue box started to materialize again and the Doctor stepped out a few moments later, his tie in his hand. "Told ya," he grinned, waving it at her, seeming too pay no attention to the girl beside her.

"No, but . . ." Martha trailed off, looking over at Avery beside her. "That was this morning." She walked around the blue box, dumbfounded, before stopping back in front of him, staring at him as he re-did his tie. "But-did you? Oh, my, God. You can travel in time." She grabbed Avery's arm, grinning madly. "Avery, he can travel in time!"

"I know," Avery said with a grin.

The Doctor started, eyes whipping over to look at the redheaded girl beside Martha. "Avery?" he gasped.

She grinned. "Plain as day, John. Same me, just different face."

"But your hair! And your voice . . . Blimey, Avery, what happened? You were _dead_," the Doctor said, and Avery laughed.

"Like I told Martha, past tense, And I'm not sure honestly. I don't think I was fully dead, just unconscious, when Miss Finnegan dropped me. Somehow I regenerated, I'm not quite sure how though. Did you do something?"

He shook his head, absently walking toward her. He circled her, inspecting the new changes. She now had a heart-shaped face, big blue eyes, and an air of confidence and innocence the Avery before her didn't have. She seemed younger as well, but he couldn't be quite sure how young.

Avery sighed. "I wasn't seriously injured or anything, John, so what could've happened to trigger my regeneration?"

He shook his head again. "I'm not sure."

"Are you _sure_ you didn't do anything?"

"All I did was kiss your forehead before I stopped the MRI machine. But that couldn't have done anything could it-" He stopped abruptly, eyebrows furrowed in confusion as she stared at him with love in her eyes. "What? What did I say?"

"Were you crying over me?" she asked softly. "Because if I was dead then that'd mean you were the last one again, wouldn't it? You cried because you were upset over being alone in the universe again, didn't you, John? You cried and let slip part of your regeneration energy without thinking so I could come back to you."

"I don't cry," he said, blushing and trying to look a bit miffed all at the same time.

She took a few steps toward him, features softening as she looked up in his eyes-she was shorter than him now, he realized. Her hand reached up to caress his cheek and he closed his eyes without thinking, savouring her touch. All he could think was: _Not alone. Not alone. I'm not alone anymore._

"You do care about me," she said, reaching up on the tips of her toes to place a kiss on his cheek.

He looked down at her gently. "I glad that you're-" He suddenly yelped, stumbling forward in alarm when Avery smacked him upside the head. "What was that for?!" he cried.

"That's for leaving me dead, in Royal Hope!"

"Ow," he mumbled, rubbing the back of his head.

"Should I leave you two alone?"

The both of them started, spinning around to realize Martha was still here in the alleyway.

"No, no," the Doctor said hastily. "But you should come with us, Avery and me, I mean. See the universe. It'll be fun."

"I've got a question first," she said, watching as Avery went over to fix the Doctor's tie.

"Shoot," he said.

"Back to you taking your tie off this morning . . . Since you saw me why didn't you tell me not to go into work this morning?"

He opened his mouth, but not before Avery interrupted. "Crossing into established events is strictly forbidden," the redhead said, glancing up at the Doctor with a grin. "Except for cheap tricks. Which this guy is _famous_ for."

"So that's your spaceship?" Martha grinned, nodding toward the blue box.

"It's called the TARDIS-Time And Relative Dimension In Space," the Doctor told her as she walked over to touch it.

Her grin widened. "Your spaceship's made of wood. And there's not much room," she added, looking around the side. "We'd be a bit intimate."

She though she saw Avery scowl for a moment there.

The Doctor just pushed open the door and said: "Take a look."

Martha stepped inside and she was flabbergasted. Really, truely flabbergasted.

"No, no, no," she mumbled, stumbling backward out the door to circle the TARDIS several times. "But it's just a box. But it's huge. How does it do that?" She knocked on the TARDIS door frame. "It's wood. It's like a box with that room just rammed in." She clambered back into the box, staring in awe all around her.

Avery watched in amusement as the Doctor mouthed Martha's words.

"It's bigger on the inside."

"Is it?" he drawled, pushing away from the railing he was leaning against. "I hadn't noticed!" He closed the door shut with his foot and proceeded to take off his coat and throw it off to the side as he walked past her, Avery following behind. "All right then, let's get going."

"Can the TARDIS make me a Sonic?" Avery asked and he nodded.

"I'm sure she can." He jiggled a few levers and pressed a couple buttons, seconds later an identical Screwdriver came popping out of the console. He handed it to Avery and she grinned.

She pressed a button and it flashed orange. "Nice to know your TARDIS has a sense of humour," she laughed, flicking her orange curls.

"But . . ." Martha said, stepping forward, and the two Gallifreyans turned to look at her. "Is there a crew, like a navigator and stuff Where is everyone?"

"Just me," the Doctor said.

"Us," Avery corrected.

"All on your own?" Martha questioned, watching as the Doctor began to pull some levers and jimmy some handles.

"Weeeell," he drawled, "sometimes I have . . . guests."

Avery snorted. "Right, _guests._"

He scowled at her. "I mean, some friends, traveling alongside. I had-it was recently-a friend of mine. Rose. Her name was Rose. And . . . we were together. Anyway," he declared loudly as he began fiddling with the computer screen.

"And where is she now?" Martha asked.

"With her family. Happy. She's fine," he said, looking over at the dark-skinned girl. "She's-Not that you're replacing her."

"Never said I was," Martha replied. "And what about Avery?"

"She's an old friend. She's welcome anytime she likes-considering she doesn't have a TARDIS anymore."

Martha stared.

"It got shot down by some aliens," Avery told her.

The Doctor turned back to Martha, features set in determination. "And this is just one trip, to say thanks. You get one trip, then back home." Martha nodded. "I'd rather not have any more Humans on board for a while."

Martha walked over to him and drawled, "Well, you're the one that kissed me."

The Doctor looked up sharply. "_That_ was a genetic transfer."

"Would you have rather I kissed you?" Avery asked, but Martha ignored her, much to the redhead's dismay.

"And if you will wear a tight suit . . ."

"Now, don't," the Doctor told Martha.

". . . And travel all the way across the universe just to ask me on a date . . ."

"Stop it," Avery said, frowning.

"For the record," Martha said with a smirk. "I'm not remotely interested. I only go for Humans. And besides, you've got Avery here."

"Yes he does," Avery snapped.

The Doctor's eyes flicked to the redhead before locking back on Martha. "Good," he said firmly, then grinned as he pulled down a lever. "Well then, close down the Gravitic Anomalizer. Avery, fire up the Helmic Regulator."

"On it."

"And finally . . . the hand brake." He twisted a knob and hovered his hand over a lever, glancing over at Martha. "Ready?" he asked her.

"No," she grinned.

The Doctor grinned. "Off we go," he said, slamming down the lever.

The TARDIS began to shake and the Doctor fell back into a seat, taking Avery with him. Martha held on to the console.

"Blimey, it's a bit bumpy!" she shouted.

"Welcome aboard, Miss Jones!" he exclaimed with a laugh, holding out his hand.

"It's my pleasure, Mr. Smith," she replied.

"Oi! Guys, I'm right here! What about Avery?"


End file.
